Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before calling the member for , I add my condolences to the family and friends of the late Senator John McCain. I met John McCain on a number of occasions, particularly when I was the defence minister. He was a man who led a remarkable life of great experience and learning. He was a wonderful patriot of his country—the United States of America—and a great advocate of freedom not just for Americans but for those around the world.

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Mr Deputy Speaker, well said. I rise in this chamber today to recognise the life of Senator John Sidney McCain III, particularly his role as a friend of Australia and a friend of democracy. Australia's current ambassador to the United States, Joe Hockey, appropriately described John McCain as Australia's ally-in-chief. Indeed, it's difficult to think of another American leader with stronger ties throughout history to Australia.

Famously, the McCain family's relationship with Australia began when John McCain's grandfather sailed here in 1908 with the Great White Fleet. This continued when McCain's father visited as a submarine commander in World War II and was cemented through his service in Pacific Command, PACOM, during the Second World War. John himself served alongside Australians in the Vietnam War. More recently, John's own sons have served alongside Australian troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The McCain family will always have a special place in the heart of Australians.

The senator has not been short on eulogies in recent times, and there's no need for me to recount his storied military and political career again here. It's worth saying briefly, however, that, had he never entered politics, John McCain would have lived a life worthy of recognition and admiration. John McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam showed that he was a man with a code. His refusal of early release from captivity after months of the most base torture—of wrenching physical pain and deprivation—showed him to be a man willing to sacrifice himself in service of the personal code. The fact that McCain was offered early release ahead of his fellow prisoners, the fact that this was offered to him alone by his Vietnamese captors as a consequence of his father's military rank and position—inconsistent with John McCain's personal code of honour—made it impossible for him to accept. It's worth dwelling on that act, on that decision, though. David Foster Wallace wrote:

… try to imagine that moment between getting offered early release and turning it down.

Try to imagine it was you. Imagine how loudly your most basic, primal self-interest would have cried out to you in that moment, and all the ways you could rationalize accepting the offer. Can you hear it? If so, would you have refused to go?

You simply can't know for sure. None of us can. It's hard even to imagine the pain and fear in that moment, much less to know how you'd react.

But, see, we do know how this man reacted. That he chose to spend four more years there, in a dark box, alone, tapping code on the walls to the others, rather than violate a Code.

In this regard, John McCain's legacy is unimpeachable. Grappling with John McCain's political legacy, however, is a complex thing to do. To appropriate Walt Whitman, he contained multitudes.

I did not share his political values. Indeed, I entered politics to defeat the majority of the things that he believed in. Importantly, John McCain was an advocate of the US intervention in Iraq—the greatest foreign policy mistake of my lifetime, an intervention opposed by my political party and an intervention that we must recognise caused immeasurable human suffering and unleashed geostrategic consequences that we are far from seeing the end of a decade and a half later.

While I believe that John McCain's intentions and conduct in advocacy of this intervention were honourable, this calamitous mistake will always be a part of the legacy of all those who were involved in it. Despite this, I believe that this mistake was made in pursuit of admirable instincts that as Australians we should honour. John McCain always fought American isolationism. He believed that America had a role to play in defending the liberal international order and he argued strongly for this stance in the domestic US political debate—not an easy thing to do. For this Australians can be enormously thankful, because a United States that is engaged with the world and engaged in supporting a rules based international order is overwhelmingly in Australia's interest, and the world is a better place for it as well.

In addition to being a friend of Australia, John McCain was a friend of representative democracy at home and abroad. His willingness to work with his political opponents to implement campaign finance reform in the United States and attempt to dull the influence of money over people in the political process is a tribute to his commitment to that democratic process. Similarly, his staunch opposition to torture in all of its forms and his refusal to allow the United States to degrade itself in its practice, put democratic agency above coercive force.

In a time when our politics is being threatened by the forces of authoritarianism and nativism, John McCain was a beacon for a politics defined by the contest of ideas, the advocacy of high ideals and the give and take of political compromise. I was pleased to meet him on his latest visit to Australia—a visit that gave powerful symbolism to the fact that the relationship between Australia and the US is bigger than, broader than and stronger than any individual President. I'm confident that he will be the only US Republican to address a Labor caucus during my political career. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed his contributions.

In many ways, when viewed from Down Under, John McCain was a living embodiment of the United States: a magnificent, imperfect enterprise and a symbol that could inspire with the pursuit of lofty ideals and frustrate when those higher hopes were not realised. On his last visit to Australia, John McCain asked Australians to persevere with America through the current tests that it is enduring. He asked Australia to:

… encourage us to stay true to who we are at our best … and to remind us just how much is at stake.

John McCain himself was a living embodiment of this call. We honour him here in this place. Vale.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—There are few times when you meet a great person, and I believe that one of the greatest people I've ever had the privilege to meet was Senator John McCain of Arizona. Senator John McCain was the son and the grandson of naval admirals. What epitomised his life, though, was the exemplary nature of his bravery and his capacity to stand against impertinent forces and the status quo when required and as required. Senator John McCain was no saint. He was far from it. He had, one would say in polite terms, a very colourful life in his early life. He was married twice.

But what we all note, and what illustrates this, is the bravery he showed after being shot down over Hanoi—when he became a prisoner of war. It's been noted by previous speakers what he endured in solitary confinement for five years. He was fed a diet of a form of pumpkin soup and bread. When they found out his father was an admiral, he refused to take what was offered to him and go home, because he believed that others who were in more need had always to go first. He was hung from the roof by ropes. He was tortured. Later on in life he was one of the first people to stand up against the excesses of Guantanamo Bay and to make sure that America was not a participant in such things as waterboarding. He was always a person who could be relied upon to speak the brave part.

One also notes, and it will be noted a number of times, that when a lady accused then Presidential nominee Barack Obama of being an Arab, in front of a partisan crowd which could so easily have been moved to an animal intent, he decided instead to stand up and say the truth. These are the sort of qualities which would embellish any political career. It's one of the reasons, when I heard of the death of Senator John McCain at 82 from brain cancer, I thought that if I had an opportunity to say my part, I would definitely take that opportunity. Senator McCain went home and said, 'I'm going to die.' That was basically it. There was no grand plan or great finale. It was another statement of the bravery of this individual.

In his previous life, the time he was shot down over Hanoi wasn't the first time he was injured. He was also part of a major accident where over 130 were killed on an aircraft carrier. His grandfather had been instrumental in the use of aircraft carriers in the Pacific during the Second World War. On this occasion, a missile was accidentally sent off. It hit a fuel drum beside his plane, and he had to roll across the thing and got terribly burnt. Later on, by reason of his torture in Hanoi, he was unable to put his hands above his head. He had to get someone else to comb his hair. Yet he never used that as a mechanism to sit down and wallow in his grief. He was always going forward.

In my conversation with Senator John McCain—and it's such an honour to be able to say 'in my conversation with Senator John McCain'—he was a person who had a real spark to what he could do. You could see he had lived an interesting and full life. He had grabbed life with both hands, in bravery, in struggle, in politics, in love and in life. When he went out with his colleagues, they said it was one of the wildest experiences in their lives as to where they would end up, because that's what he was: he was full on, as we would say. In my discussions with him, he looked at me and said, 'Did you play rugby?' which was pretty astute, because I had. I played it for about 21 years. He had a passion for rugby. It was a game that I would have thought he wouldn't know much about. It was yet another form of where there was something about him. What you saw when you were meeting someone who I believe was a global giant was a person of humility. He met people as they walked up to him. He didn't stand on a podium when he was speaking to you one on one. He spoke to you as a person. He was accepted by both sides and spoke to both sides of politics when he was here in Canberra.

Even though he had a large and colourful life, he had a deep faith, and he utilised that, I think, for the best mechanisms. His vision of the United States of America's position in the world was to be an article that promoted the rule of law, justice and right. He said America would be noted for its military strength but, more than its military strength, it would be noted for its ideals. Its ideals were the issues that he believed were vastly more pertinent in affecting global affairs than its armaments. But he realised you had to have them both.

No person is perfect in their foreign policy, but he had a strong view on where right and wrong are. He obviously had strong questions about what President Trump did, but I think he only voted against two of Trump's bills—I may need to be corrected there. But what he didn't agree with was what he believed was the loss of dignity in the presidential office that was coming about by reason of some of the more extreme statements of President Trump. He thought that that was taking away from the dignity of the presidential office. I have to stand by that. I was disgusted when President Trump disparaged his military service. I think that was a disgrace. I would hope—and of course he's not going to listen—that at some stage President Trump will apologise directly for that. Maybe he will. He tweets at two in the morning. Maybe he's listening now.

If we can borrow something from this, it is that a good politician is not a pastor or a priest but a person of full life, and Senator McCain aptly represented that. With a person of bravery, you will find their bravery permeates through many sections of their life, and Senator McCain represented that. A person who has a love of their nation has a love of their nation to the very last breath. When he was voting on issues that he believed in and being taken back to the Senate to do it, Senator McCain of Arizona represented that. A person should be accepted for both their strengths and their weaknesses and the wider encumbrance of human nature, and Senator McCain was a display of that.

I will always treasure the brief time that I had in discussion with someone I think of as a political giant. He was a person who had to live in the shadow of exceptional people, they being his father and grandfather, but you would have to say he exceeded them in the end. When he went through his military training he came, I think, 854th. He was four from the bottom. He was not noted as an exemplary student. He showed perseverance in his personal life, aspiring always to be a better person, and had an intense love of his nation. But it was a love of his nation which didn't cloud his ideals and the better angels of his nature—the better angels we should always give way to, rather than the more base implications of the human condition in any form.

I hope that Senator McCain's family, including his mother, who's 106, manage to take some solace from the giant of a life that is represented by Senator John McCain. Obviously, he was a man of Christian faith. Borrowing from the same, I wish that he remain in our prayers and that he rest in peace.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening in praise of Senator John McCain, a friend of Australia, a political giant and a global statesman. In an era when populism was on the rise throughout the democratic world, in an era of faux conviction, John McCain stood as a beacon for those who seek to pursue politics in a thoughtful and courageous way. He was an embodiment of the idea that public service through political life is a noble profession. For all of us here across the political divide and, I think, throughout the democratic world, he stands as an inspiration.

Senator John McCain's family calling was military service. His grandfather and father were the first father and son combination in the US navy who both served as four-star admirals: John Sidney McCain and Jack McCain Jr. Both served, in one way or another, in the Pacific theatre, which, in a way, began John McCain's connection with Australia. His own military service commenced with graduation from naval college in Annapolis in 1958 and from flight school in 1960. Of course, the story of his being shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and his subsequent 5½ years in captivity in Hanoi is the stuff of legend. When he ejected from that plane he broke both legs and a shoulder. He was bayonetted in the groin by the crowd that pulled him from the lake. He was then left untreated for a week in Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi. When the fractures were ultimately treated, it was done without anaesthetic.

Soon after his capture, it became apparent to the North Vietnamese that John McCain's father was an admiral. He was offered release but, in a sense, it was on condition of him condemning his country—something he would not do. He refused that release because of the US military's code of conduct, which says that POWs should be released in the order in which they were captured. So, over 5½ years, he endured, at times, solitary confinement and torture, during which his ribs were broken, his arms were rebroken and his teeth were knocked out.

In 1974, McCain revisited South Vietnam. That visit said something about a feature of John McCain that characterised his life thereafter: generosity towards those who were his foes. As the member for New England said, he had an irresistible attachment to the better angels of human nature. When he returned in 1974, he attended a speech by an aid of President Thieu of South Vietnam, who said that the sacrifice of those who had served as prisoners of war could never be compensated, but if there was anything that could be provided by South Vietnam, or if there was anywhere or anybody that any of these former prisoners of war wanted to see or visit then South Vietnam was at their service. John McCain asked to visit one place: Con Son Island. It was the place in South Vietnam where North Vietnamese prisoners of war were held. He wanted to visit that place to see what state North Vietnamese prisoners of war were kept in. As he said, he had reluctantly become an expert in the way North Vietnam treated prisoners of war. He wanted to see the way in which this was done in South Vietnam. Indeed, after that visit, he came back noting that the conditions were not as bad as in North Vietnam, but they were far from perfect, and he made a range of recommendations in respect of that.

His political career is enormous. From 1983 through to this year, he served in the Congress, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the year 2000, he sought the Republican nomination, losing, ultimately, to George W Bush, and, in 2008, he won the Republican nomination and contested that presidential election against Barack Obama. He was a fighter for everything from campaign reform through to America being an outward looking nation that took a leadership role within the world. Throughout his political career, he demonstrated a selfless, courageous dignity and a generosity for his opponent which marked him out as somebody who was special in the political domain. As has been said, during the presidential election campaign with Barack Obama, there was a woman at a rally who suggested that then candidate Obama was an Arab, and Senator McCain said, 'No, ma'am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.' Rather than turning up the political heat, he sought to define the political contest. It's not about individual on individual; it is about a contest of ideas.

The fact that at his funeral there were eulogies from President Obama, President George W Bush and Vice President Joe Biden, who were all, at times, opponents, but ultimately people who I suspect Senator McCain would regard as colleagues, says everything about the giant that Senator McCain was. Indeed, Joe Biden described this as the McCain code: a fierce contest of ideas, but a complete respect for the sincerity with which ideas are put into the political domain. It is something from which all of us practising politics today can learn.

Senator McCain was a great friend of Australia. His grandfather served in the Pacific theatre during the Second World War, as did his father, who, as a submarine commander, spent time in Perth. His sons have also served in the military alongside Australians in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

At the beginning of last year, when Prime Minister Turnbull had a difficult initial conversation with President Trump, it was Senator McCain who immediately came out to make clear the significance of the Australian relationship to America. He said:

Australia fought alongside us in wars, including losing over 500 brave Australians in the Vietnam War, which some of us remember. This, in my view, was an unnecessary and, frankly, harmful open dispute over an issue which is not nearly as important as United States/Australian cooperation, working together, including training of our Marines in Australia and other areas of military cooperation and intelligence.

As the member for New England noted, President Trump described Senator McCain in these terms:

He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured.

This was an appalling statement to make about an American who was unquestionably a hero. But, despite that, there was a generosity from Senator McCain even in respect of President Trump. He visited Australia in May of 2017. Like the member for New England, I had the enormous honour of meeting McCain on that visit. In the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, he said this:

You will not agree with all of the president's decisions. Neither will I. But I am fully committed to doing whatever I can to help my country and my president succeed in the world. And I would beseech all of you to join me and help me.

This was generosity of spirit indeed.

Within two months of visiting Australia, Senator McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer. His death is a loss to all of us. I think that, for all of us who seek to serve in this place and to represent people in democratic societies, Senator John McCain, in his life, stands as the personification of dignity and the personification of what it is to provide service to our communities in a generous way, a way which puts them at the centre of our thoughts and a way which does not indulge populism, the darker angels of our nature or a contest which isn't real. John McCain is absolutely a hero, and John McCain is an inspiration to us all.

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, it is with great sadness that I rise to acknowledge the passing of the late United States Senator John McCain. On this day 17 years ago, 11 September 2001, Australians woke up to the news of a terrible tragedy that had been thrust on our friends in America. Three thousand innocent people lost their lives in coordinated terrorist attacks across the United States. It is poignant that on this day we recognise a friend of Australia in Senator John McCain. Senator McCain led a life dedicated to service. Whether we look at his early military career, his experience in the Vietnam War or his extensive contributions to political life, it is plain to see that John McCain was a man who always put service to others first. The Prime Minister has already remarked that it is unusual for this House to express condolences for foreign politicians who are not heads of state. But it is right and proper to make an exception for Senator John McCain, a man who defined an era of the modern Republican Party, a defender of truth and a staunch friend and ally of Australia.

There have been many tributes to Senator McCain in the past weeks, flowing from right across the political spectrum. Various eulogies have remembered him as a war hero, a statesman and an American icon. But, importantly, there has been a universal recognition that John McCain was a man of integrity with strong principles. Former President George W Bush remarked:

John was, above all, a man with a code. He lived by a set of public virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and to his country.

It was this code which informed so much of Senator McCain's political outlook, his courage, his love of freedom and, most of all, his recognition that some principles and beliefs are so fundamentally important that they transcend politics and party lines. Senator McCain's determination to always put the interests of the nation first earned him a reputation as a political maverick, but it also manifested itself in his commitment to bipartisanship and in his great ability to reach across the political divide, uniting those from different backgrounds and ideologies in pursuit of common cause.

This sense of duty and service to the nation runs deep in the McCain family, with four generations of McCains having served in the armed forces. Senator McCain's grandfather, John S McCain Sr, was an admiral in the United States Navy who was involved in several assignments during the Pacific campaign of World War II which were critical to the defence of Australia, including the Guadalcanal campaign. Senator McCain's father, John S McCain Jr, was a submarine captain active in the Pacific campaign of World War II. Later he was promoted to admiral, becoming Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, during the Vietnam War. Since then, three of Senator McCain's own children, Jack, James and Douglas, have served in the armed forces, with Jack and James undertaking tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside Australian soldiers.

Senator McCain's own service in the Vietnam War would prove to be a defining moment in his life and a test of his character. During a bombing mission in 1967 McCain's A-4E Skyhawk was shot down over Hanoi, and during ejection from the aircraft he suffered fractures in both of his arms and one of his legs. McCain was subsequently captured by North Vietnamese forces and would receive the most marginal of medical care over the next 5½ years of his life as a prisoner of war, two of which he spent in solitary confinement. In fact, far from receiving medical treatment, McCain was repeatedly interrogated and tortured by his captors, who were seeking to extract information or a confession to be used for anti-US propaganda purposes. The injuries he sustained during this time would leave him with a permanent limp and impaired mobility in his arms. Even in the face of such extreme adversity, John McCain's courage, strength and determination did not waiver, and he again proved himself a man of principle. Upon discovering he was the son of a United States Navy admiral, the Vietnamese hoped to score a propaganda victory by offering McCain early release, but in keeping with the code of the United States fighting forces McCain refused the offer on the condition that he would only accept it if every man captured before him was released as well.

Through his unique family history, Senator McCain knew better than most the important role of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, and he was a vocal and passionate supporter of the Australia-United States alliance. It was a position he maintained throughout his 35-year political career. He was a proud champion of our bilateral defence relationship, most recently in his role as chair of the powerful US Senate armed services committee. Just last year, Senator McCain was in Sydney to address the United States Studies Centre. In his remarks he reflected on the shared sacrifices of American and Australian soldiers over a century and emphasised the shared values of Australia and the United States. In his own words:

… America's greatest strength comes from the values of our society, values we share with Australia—our commitment to truth over falsehood, fairness over injustice, freedom over oppression, and the immortal spirit of humankind.

These remarks were typical of John McCain's brand of politics, one characterised by a vision of America carried onwards and upwards by the strength of its principles. This idealism is a far cry from the hyperpartisan atmosphere that we find in Washington today.

If we reflect on John McCain's life in politics, we can see that he never shied away from doing what he believed to be right in service of these principles. Entering politics as a congressman, representing Arizona's 1st congressional district in 1982, McCain served on the US House of Representatives committee on interior affairs and the foreign affairs committee while taking an active interest in foreign policy of the Reagan administration. Even in the early stages of his career McCain demonstrated that he was not afraid to speak his mind, when he criticised President Reagan for his delay in pulling troops out of Lebanon. In 1987 McCain made the move to the Senate, succeeding Barry Goldwater as a senator for Arizona, a position he would be re-elected to six times. During his Senate career, McCain would serve on the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, which was chaired by Democrat and fellow Vietnam War veteran John Kerry. During his time on this committee, McCain and his fellow committee members investigated the fate of US service personnel listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. They handed down a unanimous report concluding that there was no compelling evidence suggesting any Americans were left still alive and in captivity. This, coupled with a 1994 Senate resolution co-sponsored by McCain and Kerry calling for an end to the existing trade embargo against Vietnam, helped lay the groundwork for President Clinton to normalise diplomatic relationships with Vietnam in 1995. This was a move that Senator McCain was strongly supportive of. He stuck to his principles in spite of vilification by many POWs and activists and of his own experiences as a prisoner of war.

This is just one example of Senator McCain's decency and magnanimity. As a the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, Senator McCain famously defended his rival, Barack Obama, against a voter's assertion that Senator Obama was untrustworthy, because of her belief that he was an Arab. John McCain's response was:

No ma'am, he's a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues …

Politics has changed a lot in the decade since Senator McCain ran against Barack Obama in 2008. Sometimes it seems as if the politics of John McCain are the product of a bygone era. As elected representatives we must honour his legacy by remembering that our No. 1 duty is to serve our communities. Even in his final years, when his health was ailing, John McCain was still steadfast in speaking out for what he believed to be right.

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm also pleased to add my condolences for the late John Sidney McCain III, who passed away on 27 August at the age of 81. John McCain served his country, the United States of America, for 60 years, six decades, in various forms of public service—a remarkable record. As we've heard from previous speakers, he was undoubtedly a man of immense courage and conviction. It's probably true to say that this courage and conviction was forged in his experience as a naval aviator in the US Navy and in particular the events of 26 October 1967. We've heard much about their significance in the weeks since his passing. As other speakers, including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, have described, it was on this day that McCain was flying a bombing mission over North Vietnam in his A-4E Skyhawk and was shot down by missile over Hanoi. He fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft, and he nearly drowned after he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake. He was pulled ashore and was beaten and bayonetted by North Vietnamese forces before being transported to Hanoi's main prison, Hoa Lo Prison, nicknamed 'the Hanoi Hilton', where he was to spend two excruciatingly painful years in solitary confinement. He refused a North Vietnamese offer to release him, which was largely, as we've heard, for propaganda purposes, given his father was an admiral. He then remained a POW until 1973.

We often ask what drives a person to carry on in those dark moments that he would have faced. By his own admission sometimes he was unable to carry on, but he has said publicly many times—and we heard during the eulogies at his funeral from many of his friends, family and colleagues—that what kept him going through those darkest moments was his faith in his country, his faith in his fellow servicemen and servicewomen and his faith in God. It's difficult to understand or even imagine the pain he would have gone through during those dark years.

Within a decade of his release he'd been elected to the US House of Representatives. Some might comment that he has gone from that terrible experience into politics, which is also a very difficult experience, as we know, but probably a walk in the park for John McCain, given the resilience that he'd built up from what he had been through and how his courage was forged in those years. He gained a reputation as a foreign policy hawk, yes, but also as someone who was willing to go it alone to be a maverick. He became a six-time senator in Arizona, as we've heard, a position he held until his passing. He was also a presidential candidate in 2008 and, more importantly, a statesman—which is very rare in today's politics. He was also a great friend of our nation—truly one of the greatest champions of the Australia-US alliance of the past 70 years.

I mentioned his tilt at the presidency in 2008. Of course, history records that Senator McCain did not succeed in his attempt to become President of the United States. He was beaten by the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. But it was actually President Obama, who was once a fierce political opponent of Senator McCain, who put it so eloquently when he eulogised at the memorial service, saying:

John McCain and I were members of different generations, came from completely different backgrounds, and competed at the highest level of politics. But we shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher—the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched, and sacrificed. We saw our political battles, even, as a privilege, something noble, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those high ideals at home, and to advance them around the world. We saw this country as a place where anything is possible—and citizenship as our patriotic obligation to ensure it forever remains that way.

We've heard from previous speakers about the character of John McCain in those difficult moments, as we would know, in politics, in the middle of a campaign, no less than a presidential campaign. We've heard this story time and time again. A voter at a town hall meeting said she couldn't trust Obama because he was an Arab. Well, there's nothing wrong with being an Arab. And John McCain knows that and throughout his career always fought on the side of individuals regardless of their race, their ethnicity or their gender. Whether they were an Arab, a Muslim or an Asian, it didn't matter to John McCain; he treated people based on their character. In relation to Barack Obama, he said to that lady, as we've heard, 'No, ma'am, he's a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign is all about.' In fact, I think that's what politics should be all about—that example that he set for us, that we judge each other based on the content of our character, on what we do and what we say, and on our actions, rather than the parts of us that might form our identity based on the colour of our skin, our gender or our religion or our faith. These things are important, but they are not to judge each other by. These are things that we have and we cherish, as John McCain cherished. But he judged and treated others based on their character and the content of that character.

He believed deeply in American power as a force for good in the world. He believed the US had unique responsibilities to lead in the world, both through action and by example. So he supported strong alliances, a robust military and the promotion of democracy and human rights in places around the world where they were lacking. Where there were freedom fighters, he was there. He was supportive. On that basis, the US-Australia alliance was particularly significant in his mind. In remarks he made to the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, he described Australia as:

… one of America’s oldest friends and staunchest allies. We are united by ties of family and friendship, mutual interests and common values, and shared sacrifice in wartime.

That has a personal resonance for me because my wife is American and we met in Iraq in the middle of a war. So I understand those bonds that have been forged between Australia and the US very much at a personal level.

John McCain had a deep and enduring affection for our country, for Australia. It was inspired by his father—a submarine commander based out of Perth during World War II. Of his father, he said in April last year:

I can't tell you the times he would tell me about what an incredible experience it was for him and the hospitality of the Australian people and the great affection and respect back then he had for the Australian military.

That was said on what was to be his last visit to Australia. I note, too, that he visited our parliament during that visit. I and many of my colleagues here had the opportunity and the honour to meet with him on several occasions. He actually addressed the Labor Party caucus, which was a fantastic experience. A number of MPs on both sides of politics got to sit down with Senator McCain to have a really robust discussion about our place in the world and our alliance, and the challenges that we face in the Indo-Pacific. It was a real joy to have that conversation with someone with such great experience. Then and at other times, he said of our alliance, 'This alliance between our countries is more important than ever, because we have fought and sacrificed side by side for a long time, and it is a unique relationship in that respect.' Cameron Stewart, who writes for The Australian, last week described John McCain as Australia's closest friend in Washington. That's probably true. We haven't had a better friend than John McCain in the US. Indeed, he was one of our closest friends, if not the closest friend that we've had. So we will miss him. Vale John McCain. May he rest in peace.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the House for allowing these condolence speeches. It is not normal practice for this House to take condolences on someone other than an Australian or a head of state. So I'd like to acknowledge the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business for leaving way for Senator John McCain to be acknowledged in this Chamber.

I had the good fortune of meeting John in 2008 when I signed up with the LNP in Queensland to attend the Art of Political Campaigning tour in Washington. Basically, conservative governments or politicians from all around the globe landed in Washington under the auspices of the Art of Political Campaigning. There were some amazing speakers. While we were there, we were given the opportunity to go and lick stamps and just get an idea of how big the campaign machine is in the Americas. They spend a lot of money. Jingo, they spend a lot of money! McCain—John—made a point of coming through and spending some time with us. With all of his achievements that members of this House have acknowledged—and I don't intend to laboriously repeat all of those amazing feats of heroism—he was a humble man. There were five of us in the delegation from Australia, and we had some type of baggage or insignia on us that indicated that we were from Australia. He said, 'Have you guys come all the way to help?' We said, 'Yes, we have, because we believe in the cause.' He said, 'Well, you're patriots for conservatism,' and we said: 'There are elections all the time here in America, but we don't come to all of them. There are only some we come to, and we believe in you.'

Members of this House have role models or political heroes—not war heroes but political heroes. I'm just fortunate, that McCain—John—is one of my political heroes. He was humble, and you know what? He also had a very good memory. When he returned to Australia, as the previous speaker said, he addressed the Labor caucus and also addressed our party room. The member for Canning, Andrew Hastie from Western Australia, who's also a previous serving military person, got up and asked some question with a military background. McCain rose to the occasion and answered it, and he said to the member for Canning—and I'm sure I won't be betraying any confidences about what gets said in the party room—'God, if I looked as good as you, I might have gone further politically,' offering the honourable member for Canning a compliment on his chiselled jaw and that. So he also demonstrated an incredible wit and capacity. When he addressed our room, you knew that you were in the presence of someone who could command a room through the prism of oratory. He had a commanding presence. He commanded through integrity, dignity and just a sense of realism. As Australians, we can smell bullshit coming a mile away, and John McCain was one of those guys that resonated.

I sometimes feel embarrassed when offering words of affirmation to those that have passed from this earth. Why didn't I have the courage to offer these words of encouragement and affirmation to these amazing people when they were alive so that they would find the enthusiasm to continue to do what they do? Maybe, as a result of today, I'll become a little bit more creative in that space and put pen to paper, or, when I have the opportunity to come across those that I admire, I will offer my thoughts probably a bit more readily than I do.

McCain left behind a family, as was said earlier on. I'm not going to just run through the correspondence that all members have already alluded to. But for a child to lose their father and for a wife to lose their husband is painful. It is painful. His mum is still alive. She's 106 or something.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She has passed away, has she?

An honourable member interjecting—

Yes, I believe she is still alive. In the English language, when a child loses a parent they become an orphan and when a wife loses her husband she becomes a widow, but there's no word for when a parent loses a child, because it is not supposed to happen. It's against nature. My heart goes to John's mum; his first wife, Carol; his wife, Cindy; and his kids—Doug, who is now 58; Andy, who is 56; Sidney, who is 51; Meghan; Jack; Jim; and Bridget. Each of the kids were touched on in speeches before.

I commend and associate myself with the comments from this room that have honoured and offered affirmation to Senator John McCain. I think all of us will be stronger politicians, better able to make contributions to our country and patriots if we take a little bit of John McCain and weave it into who we are. I thank the House. I offer my condolences. Rest in peace, John.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—John McCain was a patriot, a distinguished military officer and a great friend of Australia. I was privileged to meet him when he visited Australia last year. He spoke of his long friendship with Australia. As we have heard from previous speakers, his father served here as a submarine commander in World War II. I think John McCain was the embodiment of Australia's friendship and alliance with the United States. I saw that closeness that we have with the United States in southern Afghanistan and in Timor-Leste. I now see it in Darwin and Palmerston, which are in the electorate I represent and which are very proud to be hosting US service personnel.

Our great wartime Prime Minister John Curtin said:

Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.

That statement changed the course of Australian history and it changed the course of American history. We faced very serious challenges together in World War II. We saw in my electorate in Darwin the loss of US sailors, US soldiers and US airmen. We now face vastly different geopolitical challenges. However, in Darwin we are acutely aware of this shared identity and we commemorate it every year.

John McCain understood the great military and economic significance of Darwin being close to the great trading routes of the world, particularly during this incredible time with the rise of China, India and Indonesia. John McCain knew this and he understood that our ADF presence in Darwin and the Top End was incredibly important and was very significant. I told him how pleased and honoured we were to be hosting US marines in Darwin, and he thought that was great.

Recently, in my electorate, I spoke to a group of defence industry representatives, a mixture of Australian and American businesspeople, including a gentleman who had been working as a United States contractor for many, many decades. During my presentation, I passed on to the people of the United States my condolences on the passing of John McCain. And when this American gentleman got up to speak, he thanked me for passing on those condolences and he shared a memory that he had of the former senator. He talked about being in a plane flying across the United States. He went down to the toilets at the back of the plane, and he was surprised to see John McCain there chatting with a couple of blokes, a couple of ordinary Americans. He said, 'Senator, what are you doing down here?' And McCain said, 'I'm just talking to these fine American patriots.' And he says they were just ordinary blokes.

Other speakers have alluded to McCain's presence when he spoke to both caucuses. It was real; it was palpable. He was a man of presence, but that short story from an American colleague in Darwin just a couple of weeks ago really opened up another insight into the man, John McCain, in that he believed in people. And he didn't stand up on a soapbox and think he was better than anyone else. He was just proud to serve. Our Labor leader, Bill Shorten, said yesterday that John McCain was an example to us here in Australia, and I think that's very true. John McCain was a friend of Australia because he saw us as an important ally but also because he believed that we share a moral responsibility to advance the cause of freedom around the world.

John McCain's was a courageous life, an honourable life, a life well lived. He's an example of service. Sometimes people ask me, 'Why politics?' Particularly when I catch up with people that I served with in the military, they say, 'Gos, why politics?' And I say, honestly, that I see politics as an extension of service to our country. I think John McCain was a great example of that. Like the previous speaker, I won't go into the details of his service life, but, as someone whose father served in Vietnam and lost mates and whose father's father served in the Second World War and lost mates, his story resonates with me. I think it's been an important initiative to allow this condolence motion.

I want to end with Barack Obama's words from his eulogy to John McCain, because, as many members probably understand and appreciate, there's an old saying that you never really know someone well until you've had a blue with them. That's when you really get to know someone—the real person. And you could say that about politics. When we enter into these political contests every 2½ or three years or what have you, you really get to know those opposite. We get to know each other. Former President Barack Obama—who, having gone through a presidential election race against John McCain, I think knew the man perhaps better than most—said:

What better way to honor John McCain's life of service than, as best we can, follow his example?

To prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight for this country is not reserved for the few, it is open to all of us, that in fact it's demanded of all of us, as citizens of this great republic?

That's perhaps how we honor him best—by recognizing that there are some things bigger than party, or ambition, or money, or fame or power. That there are some things that are worth risking everything for. Principles that are eternal. Truths that are abiding.

At his best, John showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt.

May God bless John McCain, and may God bless this country he served so well.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, it's my privilege to be able to rise and speak to honour the life of service of Senator John McCain, the true heir to the conscience of a conservative. Many will be able to easily recount his biography and time of service in the defence forces and in politics. Today I simply offer my own short personal reflections. I have always thought it was a great tragedy that in 2000 he was not the Republican candidate to be President of the United States. His reputation preceded him. His legacy and honour of service to his country was something that most candidates for political office could only dream of not just because of its capacity to add to electoral success but because it showed a window into his character. He understood that when much is given, much is expected. Much was expected of him. I believe the world has always been worse off because of the scurrilous rumours and dirty campaigning which derailed his bid for that office, so much so that in 2000—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 18:17 to 18 : 30

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It being 6.30 pm, the time for statements on indulgence on the death of Senator John McCain has come to an end in accordance with standing order 192B.